HOW TRIPSOURCE REDUCED BOOKING TIME AND IMPROVED SIMPLICITY WITHIN A STRICT REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT FOR 35,000+ USERS ACROSS 60 MARKETS
Download Success storyChallenge
Operating in a legacy booking and servicing environment, a top 10 global pharmaceutical company needed a consistent modern platform that enabled travelers to book in less than five minutes, while keeping its regulatory obligations in check.
Approach
In 2024, the company deployed BCD as its travel services partner along with TripSource as its global digital platform to upgrade the booking experience, expand content options, broaden market access and ensure compliance.
Results
- Online adoption increased from 65% to 77% within six months
- More than 35,000 registered users within six months
- 83% of rail bookings now online compared to about 60%
- Increased productivity and efficiencies for travel through a unified platform across 60 markets
As a global pharmaceutical company with complex travel and compliance requirements, the client manages travel for both employees and healthcare professionals across a highly regulated industry. Facing unmet traveler expectations for a consumer-grade experience and the organization’s own rigid regulatory requirements, their travel team set out to modernize its program.
Challenge
The company’s booking environment created regional inconsistencies and operational inefficiencies. The legacy tool constrained content access. As a result, users had to navigate too many clicks from searching to booking. The life sciences company sought a modern online platform that gave global users a consistent experience while reducing average booking time to below the five-minute mark.
The company’s leading position in the global pharmaceutical industry added complexity: adherence to healthcare industry regulations, including approval tracking and transfer-of-value reporting, were nonnegotiable.
Approach
In 2024, following a competitive RFP process, the client moved from another travel management company and third-party booking provider to BCD and the TripSource platform.
At its core, TripSource provides a connected booking, service and engagement experience. TripSource introduced a streamlined, self-service experience that empowered travelers to book and manage trips with greater ease and fewer clicks. Key upgrades included streamlined access to invoices and unused airline credits, as well as real-time, in-trip policy reminders to reinforce compliance.
The platform also expanded content availability through multiple sources, including GDS, NDC, low-cost carriers, rail operators and hotel booking aggregators. This ensured travelers had access to comprehensive air, lodging and ground transportation options through a unified interface around the world.
Return of investment
Reflecting the unified digital platform’s expanded reach, online adoption increased to 77% from 65%.
With 60 markets around the world gaining access to the online platform, TripSource now supports more than 35,000 registered users, offering them consistent global access to a broader range of content, all while saving time in the shop-to-book workflow and delivering an average reservation time of under five minutes. Rail adoption also saw digital uptake, with 83% of transactions now booked online.
BCD continues to work with the client to drive innovation, including optimizing its experience for non-employee healthcare professionals, exploring virtual payment solutions and consolidating global servicing.
We helped the client reinvent their travel program – bringing everything onto a single, scalable platform that delivers a seamless experience while meeting compliance needs and tapping into global content.
Jennifer Lopez
Vice President, Global Client Team at BCD